The increase in abandoned houses in rural areas is a social issue in Japan. Many valuable historic buildings are demolished because of depopulation. This Project revitalizes the economy and protects cultural heritage in a depopulated area of the Izu peninsula. The Project consists of two facilities:  “LOQUAT”, an auberge in a traditional house with a restaurant serving local ingredients and guest rooms that retain the atmosphere of the traditional architecture; and “Villa SUGURO”, a group of detached houses, refurbished as guest houses. Our focus is preserving this threatened architecture, providing a new use that the locals can be proud of.

While the demand for banquet halls in rural areas had been declining year by year along with Japan's economic decay, COVID-19 from 2019 became pandemic and the demand for banquet halls almost disappeared. Therefore, the owner thought it would be possible to renovate the banquet halls as guest rooms.